Unmistakably Tratie
by sliceofpie
Summary: Sequel to An Unlikely Pair. Nine months have passed, and Katie and Travis are spending time with their families. Threats are still looming, however, and demigods don't all last, especially by themselves. Rated T, just in case.
1. Travis Loses The Game

_Pie here. Yes, I have returned to the wonderful, all powerful Tratie. I have missed them. This is starting off slow, but I swear to you a plot will come, where Katie is more Katie, and Travis is more Travis. I swear. As per usual, I do not own the characters. They are all Rick Riordan's!_

_**Chapter 1.**_

Travis was running. His breath was coming out ragged, and his feet pounded the ground endlessly. The sound of shoe on earth, twigs, leaves, and his ragged breathing all sounded too loud, even over the clatter that accompanied such events.

But he could hear slightly more masked breathing behind him, and it sounded entirely too close. Daring a look behind him, he saw with dismay she was flying down his trail, leaping that fallen log he'd spent entirely too long tripping over. Ahead of him, he saw his brother lying on the ground, trapped under a net, no doubt engineered by the Hephaestus cabin. And with dismay, out of the corner of his eye, he saw two guys from the Apollo cabin flitting through the trees.

With his calculating, he'd failed to see the small tree root, growing under the foliage. Struggling desperately to regain his balance, he only served to lose it again, viciously, as she tackled him, xiphos lying somewhere near the stream where he'd disarmed her, and he figured she had been waiting for it to reappear in her pocket, as their weapons did.

Landing with a hard thump on the ground, Travis' vision blurred with impact, and then returned quickly. Katie grinned triumphantly, knee on his chest and the flag back in her hand. That girl was vicious. And this was them _dating._

"Over eager, K, there are people around," he muttered, spitting a leaf out of his mouth. She rolled her eyes as she passed the flag off to Will Solace, who grinned at Travis' current predicament.

"We're still in the middle of capture the flag, kids!" Will called, running off with the flag. Katie rolled her eyes, about to remove her knee from Travis' chest. He grinned up at her; her hair was longer now, and he had to admit, the nine months that had passed since she'd nearly been blown up had passed quickly. And they'd only tried to kill each other twice in that time. And only once was on purpose.

The burns on her face, however, were the constant reminder that things were not right. That, and the fact that Jason, Piper and Leo were now always absent from camp.

But, the burns on Katie's face were more personal. The burns on the right side of her temple were still pink, and always would be, and the burns on her jaw made the skin at the right corner of her lips a bit tight, and it actually gave the impression her lips were puckered. At least from that side. He knew that they weren't, and Katie was, believably, self conscious about the entire ordeal.

Travis also thought that maybe Katie had let her hair grow out so that she could try and disguise, or even hide, the burns, but that was his own opinion. Just an opinion. But Travis didn't care about the burns (Well, obviously, he did. But it didn't make him…Ah, here comes the sappy word…Love her any less).

Katie raised an eyebrow.

"What are you staring at, leaf litter?" She asked, removing her knee from his chest and cocking her head as she heard a cheer come from what was more than likely her team.

"Oh, gee, hmm. I must be staring at the giant monster standing behind you," he replied sarcastically, aware he'd just cost his team a win. Katie rolled her eyes.

"You know that isn't funny. There actually _could _be a giant monster behind me," she replied, taking his hand as they walked towards the winning side. As they got to the stream, they saw Will Solace and his half-brother being treated like heroes. Once they saw Katie, they called her over, and she was separated from Travis for a moment, as the six foot something surfer-slash-Hollister model welcomed her into the heroes huddle. Travis couldn't help but feel only a slight amount of (or maybe a huge amount of) jealousy whenever Will Solace was around.

He knew that Will and Katie had been an item like, four years ago, which was so long ago it didn't really count, but still. Will was an Apollo kid, which was something. And then there was the whole surfer-slash-Hollister model thing. Which Travis was aware that he himself was most definitely _not._

Travis shrugged it off, and after the game and celebrations finished, he found Katie again, and the two rambled off towards the beach, where the end of summer fireworks were about to be held. Travis was both looking forward to this particular engagement, and dreading it. It meant that Katie was heading up to New Jersey tomorrow, to help her family move in, after their move from Oregon. Then, she was going to try and attend a school there for a few months.

Still, he reasoned, DC wasn't too far away…And maybe they'd be able to visit…And they'd go to Camp Half Blood at some point anyway. Meet up them. It wasn't _that_ bad. Was it?

Travis perched on the sand, wonderfully close to Katie. The fireworks set off in a spectacular fashion that was the norm, and Travis wondered how the Hephaestus cabin did it. Katie was resting her head on his shoulder, and Travis realized he was going to miss her a hell of a lot more then he let on.


	2. Interruptions

_**Chapter 2.**_

_This _was something Travis did not expect of Camp Half-Blood. Adventure, swords and shields, harpies and crap? Yes. But making out in the strawberry fields with Katie? Definitely not.

Honestly, he'd be a bit embarrassed to ever describe the situation to anyone. As would she. What happened inside a relationship was between the two involved. And this was something that Travis knew stayed between the two involved. It wasn't just casual, yeah, my friends are around kissing.

This was full on, which definitely made it more embarrassing for Connor to have stumbled upon, much less for the two involved.

To be fair, they weren't actually _in _the strawberry fields. They were merely inside the tool shed, which, despite its humble name, was actually rather roomy, due to generations of Demeter kids having used it for both gardening purposes and otherwise.

Katie had been perched on a table, normally filled with water cans and other gardening items, which had now found a more noble home on the floor. She also had her legs wrapped around Travis, and her hands had been in his hair, and her face glued to his.

Travis had been in the process of removing the checked shirt she'd been wearing open over a vest top, while glued to her face. That had been about the time Connor had walked in.

The worst thing was, they hadn't realized until Connor had let out a strangled squeal of sheer terror. That had been when both had, in a rather undignified manner, removed themselves from each other's mouths and had equally let out a strangled squeal of terror.

Katie's face had been bright red, and she'd struggled to smooth her hair out and pull her shirt back over her shoulders. Lastly she untangled herself from Travis, who had been in the process of smoothing out his own hair. His face had turned the reddest that Katie had ever seen, and that was probably because this was his brother.

Ouch.

Connor looked like he was about to die. It was totally one of those silently awkward situations. Connor stared at his brother, who in turn stared back at him. Katie stared wide eyed at both.

After about three, awkward minutes, Katie finally regained use of her vocal chords.

"Er, I'm sorry you had to see that," she muttered, and Connor slowly nodded his head, still staring wide eyed at Travis. Travis then snapped too.

"Man up, Connor!" He said, though still red. Connor still looked disturbed, and Katie was sure he thought he'd walked in on something that probably looked worse to anyone else. Really, they had all been fully clothed and everything. That made it innocent.

Katie grimaced at Connor.

"Ah. Right. Uhm. Was there a particular reason why you were here?" she asked, and Connor decided to respond, if not still a bit disturbed.

"Yeah…Yeah, actually. My mom came early. She was looking for Travis. I…I guess I found him," Connor stated, now beginning to see how best he could blackmail the two.

"Oh. Oh, crap. I was…We were just…" Travis began, but Connor raised his hands.

"No, no, I totally see. Just saying goodbye. Oh, by the way, Katie, your dad was searching for you. He said you were all going into the city for a while anyway," Connor shrugged, smirking as he left. Katie and Travis winced as Connor closed the door.

"Well, that was embarrassing," Katie stated as she slid off the table. Travis nodded, and the two made their way down to the parked cars at the bottom of the hill, where Connor shared a knowing look with Travis.

The two weren't ever quite sure how to properly display affection around the other's parent. Jake Gardner, Katie's dad, was somewhat easier; he took a hint and studiously looked anywhere but at the two at times such as these. Olivia, however, who was the mother of the Stoll brothers, was kind of the opposite, always, purposely, placing the two under constant scrutiny and asking embarrassing questions. This was the case as of now.

Katie and Travis stared at each other awkwardly, aware of Olivia's gaze. Katie's gaze was set, and Travis knew she'd had enough.

Oh, crap.

"Travis, fuck this," Katie muttered, grinning as she decided to kiss him, straight in front of his mother, who burst into uncontrolled laughter at the mini war of affection that she had instigated. Travis really couldn't care at that moment. Well, not until Will Solace cleared his throat.

The two had separated again, and Will said goodbye to the two. Travis couldn't help but feel he'd done that on purpose. Olivia honked the horn, and Katie hugged Travis once more before he headed to the car.

"E-mail me, Stoll. I have to spend the next few months with mortals; Gods held me," Katie muttered, and Travis nodded into the hug.

"Will do, K. Now, Olivia is about to pop a gasket. I'll see you soon," he muttered back, aware of how socially awkward he felt when half the camp was staring at the phenomenon that was, what Aphrodite cabin had deemed, unmistakably 'Tratie'.

Travis hopped in the car, to Connor explaining to Olivia what he had walked in on. Olivia was laughing harder now, and it was clear that Olivia, though a cop, had a sense of humour that passed on to her sons.

Not that she approved of most of their shenanigans.

Katie, however, climbed in the car to see her father and Jessica chatting. Tommy and Bobby, her half brothers, were staring at her like she was an alien.

Tommy, who was twelve, seemed repulsed.

"Really? Did you HAVE to do that in public?"

"I could have done far worse, Tommy –" Katie began, but Jake cleared his throat.

"Ha, um, Kate, I'd rather you didn't. You know. Dad here," he said, as his Garmin screeched at him to 'Perform a U-Turn, where possible."

Jessica grinned at Katie in her seat.

"I'm so glad you're spending some time with us, Kate! We've all missed you. And you're going to love our new house in New Jersey, and we've found a school…"

Katie let her parents babble on throughout the drive into New York, and then back down to New Jersey. But really, she was already missing Camp Half-Blood, and a certain Travis Stoll.

Gah, everything was his fault.


	3. DC & New Jersey

_And so, I've had some requests to add the quotes at the beginnings of the chapters again. Guess I better get started._

Chapter 3.

"_**In a city of fools, I was careful and cool; but they tore me apart like a hurricane.'- All Time Low, Therapy.**_

Travis awoke to a darkened room. It took him a while to figure out where he was; the ceiling had a generic hanging light fixture, and marks from glow in the dark stars that had long since fallen off. Travis took a deep breath as he sat up, the dark blue bed covers crinkling slightly at his movement. The curtains were shut, and anyway, when open, the window faced an alley. No big loss. An alarm clocked beeped and blinked 6:00, and Travis punched it off.

He rose, yawning widely, and stretched out. He was not looking forward to community college, but he supposed he should _try _for a normal education. But even as he got showered and dressed, he knew he wasn't normal. Looking at the multitude of scars across his body, he knew things could only be 'normal' for so long.

He yawned wearily, heading into the kitchen and deftly snatching toast from his mother's hand. She blinked owlishly at what used to be toast, and then scowled.

"God damn it, Travis! I thought you outgrew that!"

"Never, mom. Never." Olivia sighed deeply, then poured herself some cereal. She sighed, like she did before any kind of 'talk'. Connor was nowhere to be seen, and Travis supposed he had a bit longer before he had to catch the bus. To be fair, they could get anywhere pretty quickly.

Which actually made them the perfect thieves, but he digressed.

Travis munched on toast, raising an impish eyebrow. Olivia exhaled.

"Please, please Travis. Don't steal anything. And let me finish," she said, holding up her hands before he could interrupt, "I'm up for a promotion, and my son being caught stealing doesn't help! I know your father's history, and know what that means for you, but please, don't hijack any cars or steal any TVs…Again," she said, looking at him over her glasses, her face both sorry and serious, before picking up some daily disposable contacts and heading to the bathroom. Travis sighed.

"I'll try mom!" He called, heading towards the door and picking up his bag. He turned the handle, and like a bird of prey Olivia emerged from the bathroom.

"Hey! No leaving without saying goodbye," she chastised, planting a kiss on his head. He rolled his eyes.

Gods. He really was spending too much time with Katie.

Katie.

He hadn't emailed her yet. And he felt terrible. It had been a few days. She must have started school. What kind of boyfriend was he?

He made a vow he'd phone her quickly from the landline. Or maybe take a train up to New Jersey this weekend. Or maybe he'd do both and email her.

This internal debate actually took him to college. He ducked into the library and emailed her from there. And damn, he wished demigods could use cell phones. Well, without being chopped into little pieces anyway. How was he supposed to type everything he wanted to say, without sounding stupidly mushy?

And Katie didn't _do _mushy. Hades, neither did he.

Damn.

/

Katie hated high school. She hated New Jersey. That was it.

Sure, being with her family was okay. But she was away from the people she spent most of her time with. Her _other _family. And she was away from Travis.

Travis. He hadn't even emailed her yet. They'd just got their internet set up, and Katie was unsure if monsters would descend on the house. She had yet to check her emails today, sure, but it had still been a few days, and if she couldn't even text him, much less phone him?

Things were going to suck more than usual.

High School sucked. It was full of cliques. People didn't even bother moving out of the way for each other. You just had to duck and dive.

That was fine for her. She had masses of survival training. And, the fact she was a senior made life better too. But the poor freshmen were just being trampled.

Confused, a little angry, and a lot disoriented, she made her way to a biology lesson. To her immense disappointment, she was late. Late and new. Which meant that everyone was staring at her.

She was, yet again, stupidly self-conscious. She knew those two Barbies were whispering about her burns. People were staring, not just because she was new. They were staring at her burns, and she felt an overwhelming urge to run away.

Just when she was considering making a run for it, however, a dark brown head snapped up. With a jolt, she recognized a kid from camp; a son of Aphrodite, she was sure. He nodded once to her, and she was happy she knew, if only briefly, someone. He nodded his head at the spare seat next to him, and Katie let out a breath as she slipped in next to him.

It was going to be a long semester.


	4. Of Foreign Exchange Students

_Sorry this took FOREVER and is SO SHORT. I am still on this. I swear. I've just been super busy!_

"_**It's really not your fault, that no one cares to talk about it." – Paramore, Emergency.**_

Olivia was furious.

Her eyes were narrowed, the laugh lines no longer recognizable and her mouth set in an angry pout which terrified Travis more than anything he had ever faced. He could see the headline now, "_Delinquent found in ditch, cop mother suspected."_

He was sat in the kitchen, his back to the wall and his hands clutching the chair for dear life. His jeans were slightly ratty, and his hair tousled. His eyes were wide and his face was no longer impish, but uncharacteristically pale.

Olivia had her claws around the table, and she was leaning scarily close to Travis. She leaned back, and then exploded again.

"Let me get this straight. You were thrown out of community college before you even _registered?_" Olivia asked, her voice scarily muted and controlled. Travis felt the familiar signs that she was about to trigger a series of episodes in which neither could be held accountable for the things they said.

"For the _last time,_ Mom, it wasn't my fault!" He stated, and he was telling the truth. It hadn't been. He'd gone to register, when, and he had to admit, it sounded farfetched, a hellhound burst through the double doors and had proceeded to attempt to maul him. He'd done what any demigod would have done, and proceeded to slash the crap out of him. Of course, mortals didn't see that.

So, apparently, Travis just started wailing on some foreign kid. Right.

Olivia shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.

"I thought things were going to be different, Travis," she sighed, and Travis took a deep breath.

"Things with demigods don't change."

"You don't need to remind me," she sighed again, before continuing. "I was just trying, you know, to be a family again," she stated, and Travis couldn't help but be reminded of Luke. Luke had been his half-brother. Luke had only wanted his family to be a family.

Travis straightened his back a bit, relinquishing hold of the chair. It had now bridged that awkward moment where the Great Olivia Stoll was reaching the point of tears. And he never knew what to do.

"I know, Mom. But for a cop, having Hermes kids is hard. Wait until Connor gets into the swing of things," he pointed out, and she groaned. Travis shook his head.

"I am sorry, Mom. I swear to…I swear to my dad, I did not wake up this morning with intent to destroy some monster in the presence of mortals. It just happens. You know the deal."

Olivia still did not look happy, and Travis had a feeling he'd just cost her a promotion.

"Maybe…Maybe I should head back to Camp, you know? It's all easier, and…" he began, but Olivia cut him off.

"No. No, stay here, hun. I'm just…My partner got the promotion, you know? I'm a bit angry about that, because my partner's a worthless piece of crap but…I'm babbling, hun. Look, it's Friday. How about you go visit Katie? Let things cool down a bit. I have to try and soothe things at the station. The receptionist thinks you need to go to court, so I have to go work wonders," she suggested, and it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from Travis.

He could see Katie. He was not going to end up in a ditch. His mom was going to sort things out.

Well, he supposed Chiron might make an appearance and do some funky stuff with the Mist. He didn't know. But either way, he was heading to New Jersey.


	5. Of Sparkles and Ferrets

_Sorry I've been forever! I've been super busy and this is so pathetic for an update. But here it is anyway. I swear the story will pick up pace within a chapter or two!_

"_**It's my life, don't you forget."- No Doubt, It's My Life.**_

Meanwhile, Katie was hating High School.

She was already failing English; and it wasn't like she could just get a copy of Othello in Ancient Greek, now, was it? She was frustrated; there wasn't much time for her to practice, or garden, or do anything that made her feel a little less pent up and a little more _normal_.

So, more or less?

She hated High School and wanted to go back to Camp Half Blood more than anything in the world.

With that thought in mind, she slammed the front door of the Gardner's new house. There were still a few unpacked boxes, and it was quiet. Not even the cat was around. She figured her dad was still at work, and Jessica was on the school run. Sparkles, the cat (that's what happens when a four year old names it) was probably asleep somewhere around the neighbourhood.

"Anyone home?" She called. When no one responded, she sighed, trudging upstairs, throwing her bag in her room, and trudging back down the stairs. She headed into the kitchen, snatching a few cookies from the counter. She bit into one, turning for the kitchen table.

She nearly choked on the cookie.

"I've been waiting for you, Miss Gardner," came a voice, and she nearly attacked the source with bananas. Travis sat at the table, Sparkles sat on his lap. Her eyes were wide, and she swallowed the cookie.

"God damn it, Travis!" She exclaimed, coughing and throwing a cookie at him. He caught it deftly, a grin wide on his face as Sparkles jumped off his lap with a disgruntled 'mauuuuu'.

Travis stood, circling the table until he was near Katie. She had stopped coughing, and he caught her in a hug, which then became a kiss. He'd missed her.

Pulling away, Katie looked confused. Sure, she was pretty damn happy he was here, but why was he here?

"Why are you…" she began, and his grin faded.

"Yeah, no go on the community college front. Apparently I attacked a foreign student. It was definitely a hell hound."

Katie nodded, as if this was the most normal thing in the world. Then another thought crossed her mind.

"Wait a second. How the hell did you get in?" She asked, panicky and sure that no one had let him in. Honestly, Travis looked shifty.

"I don't suppose you'd believe through the cat door?" He asked, and she raised an eyebrow. He sighed.

"Fine. I picked the lock. It's okay though, because I know you," he justified, and she grinned at his logic. Then she was scared.

"Dear…Crap, is it _that _easy to break into my house?" She asked, wide eyed in panic. Travis sighed.

"Only for Hermes kids," he finished, and she sighed, grinning again.

"But it's great you're here! New Jersey sucks. High School sucks," she started, moving out of the kitchen. Travis followed her upstairs, where she yanked up her bag and removed a copy of _Othello. _Travis frowned.

"You're not honestly trying to read that?" he asked, aware that Shakespeare was torture, especially for demigods. Katie sighed.

"Yes, yes I am. I might just Wikipedia it at some point," she stated, giving up within two minutes and throwing it onto her bed. She grinned.

"It would suck if all I did was read Shakespeare while you were here," she began, wrapping her arms around his neck. He nodded.

"T'would be a terrible shame," he agreed, in his best Shakespearian accent. Katie sighed.

"Last time, Travis, last time. You suck at accents. They all come out Irish," she finished, standing on her toes to kiss him.

As she did so, however, the front door slammed shut, and they both jumped.

"Kate?" called her dad, and the two sighed. Katie disentangled herself from Travis, who threw his hands in the air. Timing sucked for these two. Katie shrugged apologetically, opening her door.

"Yeah, dad!" she called down, and he began up the stairs in a hurry. Travis sighed again.

"Kate, Chiron called me just now. He says he needs you…" he began, and then he noticed Travis. Travis waved, and Jake frowned.

"How did you get in?" He asked, immediately. Travis sighed.

"Why does everyone ask that? And Katie let me in. Hi, Mr. Gardner," he lied, and Jake nodded. Katie realized how good Travis was at lying, then and there. It was scary.

"Alright. Anyway, Chiron says he needs you at Camp, Kate. It's urgent. Something to do with your cabin being set on fire, a prophecy, and a ferret?" Jake said, sounding defeated. Katie's heart leapt with the prospect of going back to camp, though she felt guilty. Her father had been ecstatic that she would be spending time with him, especially after the 'I'm going to die,' scare they'd had a few months back. But honestly?

Demigods had a horrible time in the mortal world.

Then she frowned. Daxter was a ferret. Daxter was a ferret who lived in her cabin. Oh no. Hopefully, Daxter hadn't caused the fire. He was getting more and more adventurous…Oh dear.

"That means I'll have to go, then, won't it?" She asked, trying her best to sound unhappy. Jake sighed.

"I'm afraid so, Kate. I don't think I can drive you up, though…" Jake began, and Travis leapt into action.

"It's alright, Mr. Gardner! I can take her up!" He volunteered, and Jake regarded him skeptically.

"I didn't know you could drive," he said, and Travis shook his head.

"Oh. No, I can't," he stated, and Jake began to look alarmed. Travis registered his reaction and held up his hands. "Oh! No, no no. I mean I can get places pretty quick. Using buses and taxis and stuff. It's a demigod thing," he stated, and Jake shrugged.

"Alright, then, fine. But Kate…Iris message me, please. Tell me how long you're going to be gone for, and please, please, be careful," Jake said, turning to his daughter. Travis felt awkward, and therefore equally sidestepped out of the room as Jake wrapped Katie in a hug. Katie then equally returned the hug before turning and packing her bags.

She was ready within an hour. Jake said goodbye sadly, and within a few minutes Travis and Katie were hurtling towards Camp Half Blood in the back of a taxi.

"What about your mom?" Katie asked, and Travis shook his head.

"A cop that has a Hermes kid as a son? Not a good combo. I think she wants me there, but it'll probably be better if I'm not. I won't jeopardize her job and crap," he stated, and Katie sighed. Demigods seriously needed a family counselor.


	6. The Roof Is On Fire

_Sorry this is super bad, and I've taken so long. So very busy!_

"_**I feel there is nothing I can do." **_**Three Doors Down – Kryptonite. **

Katie leaned on Thalia's tree, stroking Peleus' head. She was looking over the Camp. She could see the Demeter cabin, still smoldering, and Travis was standing next to her. He let out a low whistle.

"Man, what happened there?" he asked, and Katie shrugged, sighing.

"I don't know. I guess it's time to find out," she answered, starting to walk towards her cabin. Travis followed, inhaling deeply. The smell of Camp. It was welcoming, and he realized he didn't want to leave. Just the thoughts of heading back to DC made him antsy. He couldn't stay there. It was too hard; and it wasn't that he didn't want to be around his mom. But he knew he caused more trouble than he was worth, and if Connor was just by himself…Well, they'd never tried it before. But maybe it would be easier.

He'd Iris-message them later. He didn't want to deal with Connor's complaining, and Olivia's begging him to come back. It just depressed him too much. Camp was the easiest place for a demigod. Not DC.

Katie ran into Miranda, who filled her in.

"Not sure what exactly happened. We think it was an Ares prank gone wrong, but either way, we need you to figure out what to do about the roof. Oh, and Daxter managed to get out, and you're the only one who can catch him, so that's up to you, too. Jenny, Sarah and Riley are all in the middle of a massive argument. I'm personally on Jenny's side, so we need you to mediate. Everyone else has gone home. Oh, and Riley thinks you need to give up being a counselor, because you were gone, so I told him to go suck it. And Clarisse wants to swap cabin shower times, Nico said he needed to talk to you about flowers, for some reason, and -" Miranda rattled off. It made Travis' head spin. His own cabin was really simple.

Katie sat on the step up to her cabin, her head in her hands. She could feel the stress building, so she signaled Miranda to stop rattling off whatever had happened.

"Miranda…Miranda, you take over. I can't do it. I can barely handle High School, much less being a counselor right now," Katie said, coming to a split second conclusion. Both Travis and Miranda stared at her, open-mouthed.

"You…You what?" Travis asked. Miranda nodded.

"What?" She echoed, and Katie sighed, looking a bit disheartened, but also a bit relieved.

"It might only be until the summer. Let me have a break. Besides, you're older, more talented, and you've been on more quests. Not to mention you were filling in while I was with my dad," Katie listed, and Travis gaped at his girlfriend. The conch shell sounded, and Katie smiled at Miranda.

"We can talk about this later, if you want," she said, and Miranda numbly nodded. She didn't know if she wanted that power, but she nodded anyway. It was uncontested, and Katie would keep pushing it until it happened.

Travis sat at the Hermes table, eating with his siblings. Katie and Miranda were deep in discussion, and Sarah and Riley were glaring at Jenny. Travis was super confused, and he felt unsettled, like all this was happening for a reason.

And he hated that feeling, because it tended to signal impending doom for the unlucky guy who had felt it. And that happened to be him. All he was waiting for was Rachel to turn up and shout some prophecies at him, and then that feeling would be secure. And he really hated the premonition he had.

Because he felt like something bad was going to happen.


	7. Katie's Schizo

_Sorry for the humongous amount of time in between updates, guys! Have a really crappy chapter! If you haven't already done so, maybe you guys would also like to check out my new story, Leo the Great? I just had to write about my favourite, you see…Anyway, thanks with sticking with me through long gaps filled with nothing. Back to the story!_

"**Friend or foe, I don't know, do you like what you've found?" **_**– The Vaccines, All In White**_

The clouds outside of Camp were dull, heavy, and irrevocably dreary. But they skirted around the magical borders as the day began to fade to night. Katie and Travis had been very busy in the few hours they'd been back at Camp; Katie was helping Miranda, Travis had convinced his mother to let him stay, as well as convincing Connor to stay with their mother

The two had finally found time to see each other, briefly, before the Harpies came out.

Travis' arm was loosely flung around Katie's shoulder, his mind elsewhere as they walked silently. He was pensively chewing his lip, trying to shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.

Katie could see something wasn't right. Travis wasn't one for being worrisome at all. In fact, he normally didn't worry about much, so when he was obviously worried, that tended to set off alarm bells.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly, and Travis shook himself back to reality, his goofy grin setting back into place.

"Nothing too weird, honestly, K. Just the feeling something isn't quite right," he stated, and Katie rolled her eyes.

"That is kinda weird, Travis. If a demigod is feeling like that, and it's happened before…"

"…Then something probably isn't right. I know, Katie, I know," Travis said, trying to change the subject. "So, uh, how was your time with your dad?" He asked.

"Short lived, hard, refreshing and so…normal," Katie answered quickly, realizing that when things were 'normal', she never felt quite at ease. Travis shrugged.

"I get that. You enjoy it though?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did. But it's just not easy. How about you and your mom?"

"Same as you. It was nice. But it's hard for a cop to raise two Hermes kids," Travis said, and Katie smiled.

"Yeah, I'd think so." The two had often discussed the irony that Travis' mom had fallen in love with the God of Thieves, and Travis had reasoned it was exactly why he should just stay at Camp.

The night became dark, and Katie suppressed a yawn. Travis sighed.

"Suppose we better call it a night," Travis stated, grudgingly. Katie nodded.

"Guess so. I'll see you in the morning," Katie said, standing on her toes and kissing Travis. Travis loved moments like this, and couldn't think that this time, last year, that if anything like this had happened, he would have thought he was in the middle of an Apocalypse.

Katie dragged herself towards her burnt-out cabin, and Travis his own.

But Katie couldn't sleep. Everyone else was fast asleep, but she couldn't, even in a place more familiar to her than the back of her hand. She kept tossing and turning, and she could have sworn she heard whispering. But Miranda was fast asleep (her snoring was testimony to that fact) and whispering and hearing voices, to a demigod, did not mean that they were schizophrenic.

_Katie._

There it was again.

_Katie, I know you can hear me._

She knew the voice. She couldn't place it, but she knew it.

_It's your mother._

She jumped, violently.

_Don't be afraid. I wanted to tell you one thing. Do not despair._

And that was it. It was ominous, and it subsided.

That freaked her out more. She hated demigod stuff like this. And this definitely meant she wouldn't be able to sleep at all tonight.

Rolling out of bed, her bare feet hit the earthen floor. She slid out of the door, resting on the small patio outside. The night air was cool, and Katie was thinking.

_Do not despair._

Something wasn't right. Travis was right.

Camp at night was somewhat terrifying; it was uncharacteristically silent, apart from a monster call somewhere in the forest. Normally, there would be at least four people around the cabins at any one given point, but not at night. It was silent. There were a few lights on up at the Big House, but otherwise, Camp looked relatively dead.

There was something about this that was somewhat peaceful, however; it was like this was her own, personal view, her own, personal time. She rubbed her bare arms, her hair flicking lazily due to the light breeze.

She stood up straight, frowning. In the distance, she saw a person, by the edge of the cabins. It beckoned, and she knew, somewhere deep inside of her, she shouldn't go.

But she was impulsive. Her feet were bare, but she looked around. No Harpies.

She ran towards the figure, and it moved away.

_Shit, _she thought, as she rounded the cabins towards the inky blackness of night. _I should have brought my sword._

She followed the shape up to Half-Blood Hill, before she finally realized who it was.

But there was a look in his eyes which wasn't his own, like someone was controlling him.

"Will…?" She asked, confused. "I wasn't expecting y-"

He then turned to face her completely, his face hitting a glint of light from Peleus' scales.

And Katie screamed, or at least tried to. It came out strangled, muffled, and she was sure of one thing.

This was _not _Will.


	8. How Do You Solve A Problem Like Katie

_Don't hate me. Gods, don't hate me! I've been out of commission writing this for a while, haven't I? You deserve more than one update – Maybe I'll get another one up this weekend. Maybe. I'm so, so sorry! I just – Haven't opened this document in a while. And you probably won't like the outcome of this chapter. I'm a terrible person. I suppose I have put a few new stories on here – Including a Thalia/Luke one (Examples), a Leo story, fully finished, if that interests anyone (Leo the Great), a Katie based fic (Katie's Diary), and two Harry Potter fics (James Potter oriented). So if those interest anyone, as a kind of compensation for not updating (that Leo one was kinda what I was doing, on my own time, for my friend and myself really. I know, I'm a terrible person), please check them out! AND Son of Neptune's out. I enjoyed it, and I hope you guys do too! Anyway, after a really long babble/rant from me, without further ado, here is the next chapter._

"**I love you, I'm not gonna crack."**_** –Nirvana, Lithium.**_

The next morning, Travis rolled out of bed entirely too late. Everyone had gone and, he learned by regarding a mirror, drawn on his face, by the looks of things. Sharpie had been their weapon of choice, a good choice, though they'd learned from the best. Namely, him. And he had learned from Luke. And Luke had learned from the counselor before him. It was a running gift, but that didn't help the Hermes' cabin artistic prowess at all. It took him a while to figure out what was drawn on his face – A mustache, a monobrow. A monocle. Some whiskers and a cat nose, a Harry Potter scar. The list was endless, and it took him an hour of scrubbing and endless quantities of soap to get all the markings off.

With a face red from scrubbing, Travis left the Hermes cabin, wearing jeans and a faded camp shirt - But not before putting itching powder in everyone's underwear, and not to mention allocating certain members of the Hermes cabin to toilet cleaning duty - He listed the siblings he thought had had an equal share in drawing on him, and put them on the rotation. Connor would have been his first choice, but he was still back at home with their mom. So that meant that he had complete power.

Sweet power.

Exiting the cabin to the lazy, quiet and relatively empty Camp, he stretched, heading to find some food before going to the arena for some training.

What he saw there was Katie and Will, sword fighting. Seeing Katie still sent him into a mad spiral of happy – But. Here was something he was unfamiliar with. He wasn't any expert on the son of Apollo, but he was pretty sure he'd never been _that _good at sword fighting before. He'd always been abows and arrows kinda guy, Travis was pretty sure, but he shrugged it off – Though he couldn't shrug off exactly the look on Will's face.

Something irked him though, more than usual. It was Will – It was so _obvious _he thought Katie was cute. And she was, which sucked for Travis. Because he had to fight back the paranoia that she'd ditch him for Will. As stated before, Will had that _look_. The one that girls liked.

His eye twitched, but he fixed his goofy smile on his face before waving them down. Both parties stopped fighting, and Katie smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Travie!" Something twitched within her face, as though fighting revulsion. "I mean, Travis! I never call you Travie, do I?"

Something seemed off about that. Travis raised an eyebrow.

"What's up with you?" He asked, almost laughing (though still skeptical) as she graced him with a hug. She laughed.

"I don't know. Good mood?" She answered, and Travis' eyebrow raised higher. She was never this giggly normally. What was she, drunk? He let it slide as Will nodded at him and waved at Katie as he left the arena.

What was weirder was the fact that Katie acted normally for the rest of the day – Her normal cool, calm and motherly around others, a bit looser and up for a joke around him.

Even at dinner, no one at the Demeter table noticed anything odd. But Travis still couldn't place his finger on what didn't feel right – She looked like Katie. Sounded like her, too. Smelled like her, laughed like her. The burns were there, too. She even dressed like Katie, but something was up with Katie.

After dinner, 'Tratie', as the Aphrodite cabin _insisted _on calling them, went for a slow walk of the Camp.

Travis was more silent than usual, and Katie didn't question it, which just added to his unsettled feeling. And even – Yes, even – When they decided to have a quick make-out session (and yes, she kissed like Katie, too), Travis couldn't shake that feeling. He almost felt like she wasn't quite _there_. Like her mind was somewhere else.

He'd never distrusted his gut feelings – But when it came to Katie, what did he know? He'd done pretty stupid stuff before, because of her. To get her attention, he'd placed chocolate Easter bunnies on the roof of her cabin. That time when she'd been angry with him? He'd climbed through the cabin window. She hadn't been too happy with that. After all, it_ had_ been pretty late at night. But still.

When they eventually parted ways for the night, Travis put his stealth skills to the test – He may have not always been the stealthiest, but as he'd gotten older, he'd done pretty well in improving his skills.

He decided to follow Katie, on a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. At this point, it was dark, and he stuck to the shadows. He was truly a son of Hermes now, giving a master thief a run for his money – so to speak.

Katie headed as though she was going to her cabin – But then she verged, turning direction. There was a murky figure up ahead, and Travis had a prickly feeling he knew who it was – Will Solace.

As he got closer, he knew it. It was Will, and the two of them fell into hushed conversation, at a certain point in which Katie giggled.

It was Will. Travis' stomach began to sink. _No, Katie. Don't do this to me, please._

It was when the two headed off towards the woods together that Travis stopped following, moping back to his cabin. Instead of going inside, he perched outside, allowing his head to fall into his hands.

He was, needless to say – Heartbroken. He hated feeling like a preteen girl, but words couldn't describe exactly the nosedive his stomach was taking, or the itching behind his eyes. He wasn't going to cry, but he sure felt like it.

How could she have just…Made out with him earlier, fake being his girlfriend, when she had probably been with Will for a while? How long? When they'd been…Just the two of them, _physically _together – Had she been thinking of Will? Will. _Will, Will, Will, Will fucking Solace._

Maybe he'd misread, he reasoned. Maybe he was going crazy. Katie wasn't like that.

Was she?

Gods, no. Running his hands through his hair, he ground his teeth.

He didn't want to be played, but what if he'd misread?


	9. Screw Mother Earth

_Hi again. Okay, people keep asking how Katie got the burns. For that, you'll have to read the prequel to this – 'An Unlikely Pair'. Okay, now that's over, I am SO sorry this took so long and is so shitty. I have been super busy, but I finally got around to it! Alright, here you go!_

"**But it's a bit of a disillusion."**_** – Rizzle Kicks, Miss Cigarette. **_

Bleary eyes fluttered open, for a split second regarding everything as though through a haze. A blurry figure huddled next to her, and a towering, hulking figure fluttered somewhere a great distance ahead of her.

Quickly, however, her vision cleared, and she realized she didn't know where she was.

She could quickly determine she was underground, that much was for certain; a dark, earthen ceiling towered somewhere above her head, and the entire place was damp, and maybe the size of an airplane hangar. It smelled like earth mixed with body odor, and the floor beneath her body felt loose, like dirt. She sat bolt upright, her demigod senses telling her something was _not _right.

The first thing she realized, to her horror, was that she was still in her pjs – long bottoms, a vest top – and the sweater she'd grabbed before she ran after Will Solace. Her hair was still messy, and her feet were bare.

This was beginning to feel like a bad nightmare.

The figure at her side, she realized, was Will Solace. And she was relieved to find that he seemed like the _real _Will, not that weird fake version she'd seen before…

"What happened?" She asked, and Will jumped as her weak, groggy voice resonated through the underground cavern. He inched a bit closer to her, his eyes still faced firmly in front of him.

"I swear to the Gods, Katie, this was not my idea."

"Now that's cleared up," she stated, sarcastically, "What happened?"

Will was silent for a beat. Then he pointed in front of him. "Gaea happened."

Katie, however, didn't miss a beat. "For fuck's sake, are you joking?"

Will shook his head, his blonde hair flopping in his face. He, too, was in his pajamas, Katie was relieved to see. She followed his pointed finger, and realized there were lots of creatures that looked like they were made from clay - Earthborn.

Katie groaned, her head sinking into her knees. Will shook his head.

"I've been trying to think of a way to get out," he murmured. "But I can't figure it out – I think the bars only move for Earthborn. What's worse…"

" – _How _can it be worse -"

"They've replaced us at Camp with Earthborn lookalikes. I have no idea how they got over the boundaries, but they're causing _real _trouble…"

Katie looked up again. "What do you mean?"

Will sighed, jerking a finger to their left.

"Look."

And sure enough, there was a swirling, glowing…Well, it looked like a portal that bred with an Iris message.

And there was Travis, looking distraught as the fake Katie and Will snuck off into the woods. Katie felt her blood run cold.

"Oh, no. Oh no, no, no…"

"I know. I can't even figure out what they're planning on doing."

Katie glared at him, skeptically. "It's Gaea. She probably just wants to kill everyone. Duh."

Will rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean. I think…I think Travis is going on a quest, though, and maybe…Maybe there's a way we can figure this out -"

Katie lay back on the dirt again.

"This is fucking fantastic. Just great. Swell."

Will sighed, plopping down on the dirt. "I think we're just going to have to wait for our moment."


	10. Travis Does Nothing

_Hey everyone. I know it's been a long time, and this is a really bad peace offering here in the form of this chapter. I've just been incredibly busy, and a lot of my writing time has been taken up with starting my book. Which is not an easy task. So, here you go. _

"**I'm gunna pick up the pieces, and build a lego house. If things go wrong, we can knock it down." – **_**Ed Sheeran, Lego House.**_

Travis awoke to that blissful few nanoseconds of pure peace. That sheer belief that everything was as it should be, and his eyes observed everything around him – messy cabin. Messy cabin. Messy cabin.

And then. That feeling. That gut wrenching, heart stopping feeling. The kind that sent his stomach into a serious pitfall. Remembrance. Remembrance of something that the person in question did not want to remember.

Katie. God damn it.

It was the first time in his life that he'd ever felt like this. Completely and utterly heartbroken. This was so un-Travis like that he could barely believe he felt like this.

Of course, he had no proof to back anything up (or maybe he was just trying to convince himself) but then again, they'd gone off into the woods together, all sneaky, secretive, at night time – Demigods only did that if they were extremely stupid (which neither Will nor Katie was) or they wanted some, er, _alone _time.

God damn it, he was being childish about this. He was Travis Stoll, and Travis Stoll could just _ask _Katie. They'd been together a while. They knew each other so well (but somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think _not well enough_). He could just ask, right? Sure. He'd do it…Later. On a full stomach. After lunch. No, dinner. Yeah.

Plan formed. So, monotonously, he went through the morning routine. Shower. Clothes. Eat. Pranks. Archery. Sword fighting. Arts and crafts. Lunch.

And then, as he was making his way towards the armory to consult Nissa, Rachel, once more, ruined his plans.

It was, of course, a prophecy, and for the one billionth time, he wanted to slowly stab himself to death with a spoon. He had got to the point now, two quests with Katie, and he just wanted to end it there. Last time, she'd just about died, and he didn't know what he'd do if that happened again. Not to mention, this time, she was probably cheating on him, which left him feeling considerably unhappy. And when Rachel finally announced the two would have to go together – Well. That was the icing on the cake. Travis had hardly even listened. He was too busy trying not to smack his head against the tree nearby.

Of course, Katie was equally nearby and sent him a wide smile. He'd never seen her smile like that before, and for a brief moment he smiled back, feeling better. Maybe he was overanalyzing the situation. Then he realized that she'd never smiled like that before, and the more he analyzed it, the more fake it looked. He wouldn't lie. He was actually dreading the next morning.

And to make matters worse, he didn't even confront her. In fact, he barely saw her throughout that entire day. He was too busy making preparations and trying to find one of his siblings to look after the cabin while he was away. The usual before a quest. Pack as many things as possible.

But now he was avoiding Katie at all costs. Gods. He was chickening out worse than ever before, and that was because he didn't know what exactly to do. He was even still trying to fabricate excuses for her, when the reality was that there were none.

His head hit his pillow on autopilot, and before he had even decided what to say to Katie, he was asleep. Thankfully, this time, dreamless.


	11. Travis Hot Wires A Car

_I know this took way too long to update, and if you've stuck with this story then thank you so much. I've been super busy and am trying to update more often. Once again, thank you for your patience._

"**So I think I'll sit and stay here a while, 'till I figure it out." – **_**Joshua Radin, Streetlight**_

Travis had overslept that morning, and was already running late as he crested the hill. It was meant to be just him and Katie on this quest, but now there was someone next to her. Hurrying down the hill, towards where Argus was waiting with Katie – his heart sank. It was Will

Will.

Always _stupid _Will.

He grimaced. They perceived it as a smile.

"Ready?" Katie asked, brightly.

"As I'll ever be," Travis replied, almost under his breath.

They all climbed into the minivan, which would, yet again, take them as far as New York City. Then, they were on their own. Silence as they stepped out of the car, into the bustling city. It was still early, but there were still plenty of people.

They all stood motionless, the proximity of Katie and Will echoing the space between Katie and Travis. He still wasn't ready to confront this situation.

"Er, did anyone catch the prophecy yesterday?" He began, swinging his arms. That was sort of an important part of this quest. Will nodded.

"Sure did. It was kinda weird," he stated, rolling his eyes before launching into it.

"_Demeter and Hermes unite, again,_

_Bringing with them an unwelcome friend._

_Remember the heroes of old, enemy of the Sea,_

_And realize at once what wasn't originally seen._

_Bide your time, should you fail,_

_And reunite lost love, after facing betrayal."_

It was silent for a moment, and no one seemed to be awkward, regarding the fact that it could be assumed Will was the unwelcome friend in the most literal meaning. Travis cleared his throat.

"Jeez, Rachel's getting lazy, rhyming 'Sea' with 'seen.' What is that, half rhyme or something?"

"Don't know, don't care," Katie stated, shrugging her shoulders and laughing. "But I think we better get a move on. Don't want to be loitering around New York. Monsters like us, remember?"

Everyone agreed, letting Travis lead the way. They figured he'd be a good guide, his father being the God of Travelers, but honestly, Travis was terrible with maps. He had a good sense of direction – he just couldn't really use maps, at all.

"I don't think we're going to find anything in New York," Will said, after an hour of wandering. Travis agreed, though agreeing with anything Will said made him want to punch the guy.

"Yeah. I suggest we hot wire a car."

"I have no idea how to do that."

Travis laughed. "Will, I think you're forgetting. I'm a pro at stealing things."

They wandered a little farther, before seeing someone's Mini Cooper, parked innocently outside a building. He wouldn't have much time. But he sure as hell wanted to hot wire this car.

"Keep a lookout," Travis commanded, working his magic.

Within minutes, they were driving towards New Jersey.

"I gotta admit, I'm intrigued as to how you know how to do that," Will stated. Travis rolled his eyes.

"It's all in the genes, Solace. All in the genes."

They drove for a few hours, ditching the car when it began to run out of gas. Then, they went with public transport, though Travis was slowly starting to despair. He had no idea where they were going.

He then remembered what he carried in his bag.

Swinging it quickly off his shoulders, he rooted around, searching for the small, golden Sat-Nav. He'd received it from a Mercury kid, via Leo. Apparently, this Mercury kid had been travelling with Leo on some quest, decided to stay with the Amazons and told Leo to give it to him.

He wasn't complaining, as it let loose a small _ding_ after whirring to life.

"In .2 miles, turn left."

He punched the air, hugging the small golden cube towards him.

"Thank you, Mercury guy," he muttered, gesturing for Will and Katie to follow.

They'd made their way to some woods by the time it got dark. It eerily reminded Travis of the first quest he and Katie had gone on together – and that frankly didn't settle with him well. Even as he lay down, allowing Katie to take first watch, something about this whole situation wasn't making him feel particularly good.

As he fell asleep, his mind was still reeling. What should he do, how should he handle it, and more importantly, what the hell the prophecy was trying to tell him.

Because he knew it was trying to tell him _something_.


	12. Gym, Tan, Laundry and Cow Feet

_Sorry for the late update again, but I thought, hey, I'm supposed to be revising for Classics, so why not do this? I've absolutely mastered the art of revision – not. Anyway, I'll try and update soon! The quote will make sense, I swear, in like three paragraphs._

"**Get crazy, get wild, let's party, get loud." – **_**LMFAO, Get Crazy**_

And yet again, everyone was following Travis.

They'd set out early that morning. And there was still silence. Just silence. It was wrong, and he'd given up on Katie now. Maybe this was just one of those silent break ups, and as angry as he was, he knew he had to finish this quest before he could even think about breaking down. He didn't want to be a girl about this, and just sit down and bitch about it to someone. He just wanted time to _think._

They walked for a long time, past these huge houses. There was loud music coming from one up ahead, and that was where the Sat Nav thing was pointing them. Travis could not comprehend how grateful he was for this thing. Whoever Teddy was, Travis owed him one.

The doors to the house were open, and the three exchanged a glance before just walking in. Immediately, they regretted it.

The music was accompanied by a heavy smell of Axe body spray, food, body odour and hair gel.

"They look like Jersey Shore rejects," he muttered to Katie, and she nodded once, skirting around one guy who was doing his hair in the mirror. They were the stereotype that Jersey Shore portrayed, alright, and the three dove out of the way as a few big guys pushed past them, shouting something about 'GTL!'

Definitely Jersey Shore rejects.

There were a few women running around as well – big hair and fake nails in abundance. They seemed to attempt to clean, but ended up just hanging around with these guys anyway. Someone shouted something, and everyone shut up for three minutes, looking to the top of the staircase situated to their left.

The woman was about thirty, and she was the only person in this house whose appearance reassured the three that they were in the right place. Her long brown hair was pulled over one shoulder, a circlet braided into her hair. Large brown eyes, framed with thick, dark lashes, and the kind of ancient dress that screamed 'wealthy'. Following her was an old woman, nondescript. The two looked down at the scene in dismay.

Another person emerged. About twenty, the beginnings of a beard on his face. Wiry. Athletic. Handsome.

He pushed through the crowd, who regarded him with a complete lack of respect, making his way towards a shabby looking guy.

The maids began setting out a feast, and the guy made sure the shabby guy was at the table, as well.

It was very apparent how rude these guys were. One began making a spectacle, and his friends egged him on.

"Go on, Ctesippus!"

"It'll be hilarious, bro!"

"Hey, beggar!" Ctesippus called to the shabby guy, "I have a present for you!"

He then proceeded to throw a cow's foot at the guy's head. He swiftly dodged, and the young guy rebuked him swiftly.

"I swear to all the Gods, Ctesippus, that if that had hit him I would have killed you."

The guys just laughed.

"Oh really, Telemachus? You cried last time you tried confronting us. We're just here to marry your mother, who most _definitely _has to be DTF. It gets extremely boring when you wait for, oh, I don't know, fifteen odd years," they shouted back, and Telemachus shook his head.

Travis frowned. Telemachus.

That name rang a bell.

And all too suddenly, he realized where they were.

This was the palace of Odysseus.

And some major shit was about to go down.


	13. No Bow, No Business

_Hello, fabulous readers. I have surfaced, and if you're still here I'm so, so, so sorry about the wait. It's not even like this is all too worth the wait. But, I'm still here and I haven't forgotten about Tratie. Anyway._

**"C'est la vie, c'est la mort." – ****_The Civil Wars, C'est la Mort_**

Despite this frankly confusing and unresolved relationship situation, Travis had no choice. When you were on a quest, your relationship had to come second. You needed to keep all members alive, first and foremost. You could worry about this situation later.

This was the same for Travis. He felt like shit right now, and Katie was still grinning like an idiot. But he had to make sure he knew what was happening. He had to make sure they didn't get caught in the middle of this…

That was when the doors began to close.

_Think, Travis. Remember the Odyssey…_

"Oh Gods," he muttered, weaving through the hall and grabbing Telemachus' arm. Telemachus turned suddenly, shrugging his arm off.

"Don't touch me, swine," he spat, shaking Travis off, but then his eyes widened and he did a double take. "Wait…you're a demigod?"

Travis sighed. He wasn't really sure it was all that noticeable, but all these Greek guys seemed to keep tabs on the growing demigod population. He nodded once. "Please don't let your father kill us. We aren't…"

A few people started dragging in the giant axes, lining them up. Travis' stomach flipped. The suitors had to string the huge bow first; he knew that. Then, they'd all try, but couldn't, and then they'd all laugh as Odysseus in disguise attempted to do so. Then, Odysseus would do it, shoot straight through the axe heads, and begin a massacre. Which, at this point, seemed to include Travis, Katie and Will. That was not okay.

The old man hobbled up to Telemachus, shooting Travis a look of almost hatred. Then Telemachus whispered, "Demigod."

Odysseus look to Travis. Will and Katie had fallen in behind him, and his eyes widened.

"You three. Follow me," he stated, limping off to a quiet corner. The three did so, and Travis was still worried. He was standing before _the _Odysseus, who'd seen the siege of Troy, the Sea of Monsters, and resisted Calypso. This man was no ordinary Greek hero.

"Every so often this happens…they send me demigods. Listen to me," he stated, pulling them closer. "I need one of you to string the bow. This time, I need more preparation time. One of my servants never reappeared. Forgotten by the brain dead lot outside, no doubt, but that set things back drastically. You must string the bow, you must shoot through the axe heads. Tell me Chiron has trained you to be competent enough for that."

As much as Travis hated to say it, Will was more than capable. His father was Apollo, and the bow was basically an extension of his arm. Travis wouldn't have been surprised if Will was actually born with his bow in hand.

"Will can shoot, piece of cake," Travis stated, and Will nodded. Behind, they could hear the beginnings of grunts as people began to try and string the huge bow. Odysseus nodded once, and they took that as their queue to leave.

Katie stood against the wall; with Penelope the prize, they hardly paid attention to the burned, younger girl. Will and Travis integrated with the crowd, who were becoming more and more rowdy. Hoots and jeers accompanied every failure, and there were so many men the time seemed to stretch on and on. The guy that acted like the head honcho pushed his lackeys out of the way, smiling, but his smile quickly dropped and sweat began to bead on his forehead as he struggled with the heavy bow and taut string. Telemachus watched on, and Travis clapped Will (reluctantly) on the back.

Will put his hand up. "Since you're obviously struggling, how about you let me have a try?"

The men laughed. "Telemachus has more of a beard than you!" one called, and Will shoved his way to the front, taking the bow from peas-for-brains.

At first it seemed promising; the bow seemed to bend to his will, the string comfortable in his hand. But then Travis noticed something was wrong:

It wasn't working. All the magic vanished. Will was struggling, too, and the men were laughing.

_Oh, no. This is bad, _Travis thought, panic welling. He didn't want to think about what Odysseus, what _Athena_, might do to them if this ended badly. But why wasn't it working?

Maybe Will had pissed his father off. Yes, that had to be it, Travis decided, before he even realized he was walking to the front, before he even realized he had taken the bow from Will, before he even realized he was praying to Apollo, to Athena, to his father.

He was actually praying in ancient Greek, which surprised him too, and he gritted his teeth as he tried to string the bow.

The whole room went silent as he did so.

Travis stared at it incredulously. So did everyone else.

"Go on then. Shoot, kid," some guy egged from the back of the room. Travis hoisted the heavy bow, thinking back to every archery lesson. His first had been from Lee Fletcher. Lee was a good guy, and an even better archer. Then Michael Yew. Then Will Solace, who reminded him so much of Lee. So why hadn't he been able to even string the bow?

_Apollo, please, please, please,_ he thought lining up his shot, _please please please please_, he thought harder, pulling back the string, feeling the arrow, _please please please. I'll even write poetry if this works. Please._ Firing the arrow.

He watched wide eyed as it soared through the axe heads, burying itself in the wall.

The room was silent for a heartbeat, before a cacophony burst out. Then the angry voices turned to screams, and Odysseus had a lighter bow, punching through men like they were paper. Then there was blood, not the golden dust of all immortals. Sure, the blood faded to dust which drifted across the floor, but the blood was part of the mist. Telemachus joined in. The suitors were unarmed. No weapons – Odysseus had removed them from the hall when everyone was focusing on the bow. Katie had her _xiphos _out, fighting too. Will was using his sword.

_Not a bow. Why not a bow? _Will was okay with a sword. He was better with a bow. Suddenly a creeping feeling crossed him, one that made him look at Will.

_Why not a bow, Will? _He thought, slicing at a suitor. _Why not a bow? _Something wasn't right. His brain was trying to tell him, but all he could think was maybe Apollo and Will had disagreed. But either way, Will was not himself. That challenge should have been a warm-up to an Apollo kid. No Apollo kid missed. Ever. That was what was sitting uncomfortably with Travis.

_Why not a bow? _


	14. Not Real

_Wow. It had been a really long time. So sorry. Here's an update. Hopefully, I shall finish this relatively soon. I am so, so sorry._

"**And I wanna fight, but I can't contend."** – _**Tom Odell, Can't Pretend**_

There was food. There was food, but Travis' mind was sure something was wrong.

Telemachus was holding conversation with his mother and Will, and Katie was digging in to the food. Odysseus had resurfaced, and the look on his face when he looked at Penelope…Travis had to admit, it was beautiful.

Odysseus reluctantly let go of Penelope's hand, circling around the table and patting Travis on the shoulder. A signal to follow him.

Travis rose, receiving not even a glance from Will or Katie as he exited the room with Odysseus.

"My boy. That was quite the feat," he began, and Travis laughed.

"It was nothing. Just took a little praying, that's all. Apollo's the man," he added, looing upwards briefly. It never hurt to butter up the Gods.

"You're a son of Apollo?" he asked, frowning. Travis laughed.

"Uh. No way. That's Will. My father is Hermes," he answered, and Odysseus grinned.

"I'm a big fan of Hermes," he said, drawing Travis closer and lowering his voice, "But it's Will I want to talk about."

Travis raised his eyebrows. "I'm listening."

"As a son of Apollo, he should have made that shot," Odysseus murmured, and Travis could have cried. Thank you.

"I know. Something…something is strange with Will. And Katie. They aren't…they aren't acting…right, he stated, and Odysseus glanced back towards the feast.

"Listen, my boy," he stated, and Travis nodded. "Every few decades or so, I must repeat this godforsaken scene. I'm forced to go through some of the tasks I had to before; Scylla. Charybdis. But I don't…" he trailed off. "Some islands I will just never visit again. They replace them with other things, things that mess with the mind," he stated. "This time. This time, I thought I was home. They seemed like Telemachus, like Penelope. Just a little…off. They attacked me when I least expected it, and I had to fight these doppelgangers. Athena spoke to me, then, warning me of Gaia should I return home. Those…those doppelgangers were Gaia's earthborn, dressed up to mess with me. Travis, my boy, I tell you this only because you helped me return to my family. Perhaps it is an option to explore, but Travis, do not let them know you know. Be careful, until you are entirely sure. There will come a time," he said, clasping Travis' shoulder.

Then he went back to the feast.

Travis definitely couldn't enjoy the food after that.

This wasn't Katie. How long had it not been Katie? Had it ever been Katie?

He felt physically sick. Where was the real Katie, and how was he supposed to deal with this?


End file.
